Felix Larbi Appiah, the Head of Community Development Unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), has lamented over gap between efforts of the government in bettering lives and real life-changing situations.

“As a nation we haven’t really invested much into social interventions because when you get down to the grassroots, people are suffering and don’t get access to basic needs,” he bemoaned.

Mr Appiah expressed the sentiment at a skills training programme organised by the Community Development Unit of the TMA to train women in entrepreneurial skills development at Tema Newtown.

He observed that policies and programmes of the government was not getting to the people who needed them because of poor monitoring and evaluation culture which had ensured work done at the grassroots were not monitored to determine how well they were done.

“We shouldn’t rest on our oars, we shouldn’t think because the needed support is not coming we should rest, otherwise nothing will be done, rather use the limited resources available to impact on the lives of the citizenry.

“The government must strengthen the public sector by ensuring the monitoring and evaluation ministry worked efficiently and effectively to bring public servants put on projects are accountable to improve work done.

“Conducting skills training for communities is a yearly affair, and the first programme this year which trained women in beads and soap making, was held during the International Women’s Day celebration to empower them because research showed most of them wanted to acquire the skill but lacked means to learn and sustain the training.

“We will also sensitise them on financial management and entrepreneurship because most of them are into businesses not profitable because they did not know how to manage finances by supporting them out of poverty to live better lives,” Mr Appiah stressed. -GNA